American Psycho

The PHYSICAL quality of the book is great. Paper-back, doesn’t fall apart, great whatever. The book itself though?**SPOILERS AHEAD**As a read I find it so incredibly boring, pretentious and self indulgent (to an extent). I tried giving it the benefit of doubt when the main character patrick bateman would go on and on endlessly, ceaselessly, RELENTLESSLY on and on… and on and on and ON about clothing/fashion, accessories, “good music”, stereo systems, shoes, buttons, designer socks, underwear, tie pins, pocket squares, food, restaurants, drinks, clubs, etc… but it was so boring and repetitive. I get that this is a critique about 80s yuppie lifestyle and the detachment of people like bateman and his colleagues as they live on in the drone like lifestyle of wall street corporate culture. But come on… could you have been more creative? Showcased BETTER just how bateman was losing his mind? The way the author would monotonously go from fashion to random gorey murder and sexual exploits was just so messy. There was no pace or progression to bateman. I know he is supposed to come off as just a shallow no-depth character but I feel like the reader could have experienced or seen more: some sort of understanding? Connection maybe? Something. But no. This was mindless nonsense. The author could have showcased his points, criticisms and perspectives better and all he managed to do was bore the reader to death or disturb them. There is absolutely no plot to follow. Some positives i guess were the creativity of the murder scenes and how he would enact them in gorey detail. Also the way the author would get the reader confused between who is who and what is what, in a sense putting us in batemans confused and disturbed mind. This way a decent way of showing how all the people in his world were just like him. Another thing was I guess it showed how he used murder as a way to maybe escape his world and that everyone was basically just like him or similar also using things like affairs and drugs to escape the cycle.Overall everything is too repetitive. It gets to a point where the reader just rolls their eyes and wants to scream out “OH MY GOD WE GET IT! YOU LOVE GIORGIO ARMANI!”Bateman is really crazy. We can clearly see that. But if you want a book with more pace and depth this is definitely not it. If you want a book that critiques American society, the rich, the 80s yuppie life, the treatment of wealthy vs poor, etc. eh… i guess this ok. There is definitely something better out there. Way better… in my opinion this was painfully boring. No stimulation whatsoever. The few cases where the movie was better if not at the very least more entertaining. It sums up everything that happens in the book. You get the point. People who love bateman clearly have never read the book because not even bateman likes bateman. No one does. Hes boring, the book is boring, hes shallow, so is the book. Those who idolize Bateman probably have as much depth to them as a puddle. I cant express to you enough how mind numbing this book was

Story 5/5Narration 5/5American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis is a masterpiece! I'm so glad I finally read it.I've never read a story like this before and I'm sure I won't again.Bret Easton Ellis' writing style perfectly illustrates what he wanted to show the reader in this satirical portrait of New York businessmen in the late 80s. In this book, there are many references to expensive brands of clothing, objects, artistic restaurants, etc. Things are not simple things, they are luxurious objects, which should be designated as such. That made me laugh. Some readers may find this tiring, boring or unnecessary, but for me it was essential to demonstrate how shallow, materialistic and empty Patrick's life is.Patrick is a charismatic main character. He is a perfect personification of the psychopath. He has no empathy, he despises everyone who is not at his level in the society in which he lives. For him, killing a child has the same importance as going to the video store to rent a movie. What is scandalous to him is not very important to everyone else. For example, being refused a reservation at the most popular restaurant in New York is enough to cause a nervous breakdown. On several occasions, he confessed his brutal crimes to his peers, but no one would listen to what he had to say about that. Why? Because it was an impossibility to his so called friends. Patrick was one of them, so he couldn't be a psychopathic killer. To them he was just an eccentric.In his group of friends, only appearances and money count. Patrick's secretary even described him as kind. Kind!!! Lol! This made me laugh so much!! I couldn't believe how she could define with that word a man who objectified her and looked down on everyone, including her.I found the writing style and character development to be impeccable. I really enjoyed the fact that Bret Easton Ellis uses a vast vocabulary. That's the only thing I liked about Patrick. He is a despicable human being but he has mastered the art of speaking. I love that Bret Easton Ellis used perfect wording to explicitly describe Patrick's atrocious crimes against innocent people, who were unfortunate enough to cross his path. His cold detachment made the crimes even more violent and disturbing.I found myself laughing at inappropriate times. Because of Patrick's senseless actions.I highly recommend American Psycho. This unique literary masterpiece must be read. It's a classic.